It's 60th anniversary time for one of the powerhouse teams in the rich history of Agawam High School football. The Brownies of 1957, coached by Harry Leonardi, went 8-1-0, scored a regional record 333 points and gave the school its first AA Conference championship.

The one taint on that team's record came in a game that wasn't even on its original schedule. Late in the season, with Agawam and Archbishop Williams of Braintree both unbeaten and boasting superstar running backs, a matchup was arranged between them.

Agawam had Jim "Turk" Bruno, a power back with speed who was threatening to set a Western Mass. scoring record. Archbishop Williams had Mark Chiros, who was on his way to a record in Eastern Mass.

This "dream matchup" took place Nov. 24, the Sunday before Thanksgiving, with Archbishop Williams as home team. The game was booked so late in the season, there was little time for buildup, but the Bruno-Chiros rivalry brought out a crowd of 8,000.

Archbishop Williams won 27-19, with Chiros scoring two touchdowns. Bruno had two for the Brownies. His second one bordered on the spectacular - a 55-yard scamper on a pitchout from quarterback Ed Modzelewski.

Mike Marieb, a longtime fan and chronicler of Agawam football, had a perfect view of the Bruno touchdown.

'The play unfolded on our side of the field and almost directly in line with where I was sitting," Marieb recalled. "Turk's run was remarkable, but what really made it possible was a terrific cross-body block by end Bobby Broggi, taking out two defenders and springing him free."

Ed Modzelewski was quarterback for the 1957 Agawam High School championship team.

Although Agawam lost, coach Leonardi's team gave a stalwart performance.

Ernie Dalton, a longtime high school sports editor at The Boston Globe, cited the play of Agawam backfield stars Bruno, Dick Glogowski and Pete Schindler.

"They're a trio of backs that any Eastern Mass. coach would love to have," Dalton wrote in his game report.

OK, but what about Modzelewski, the quarterback?

"Those three were all so talented, and I knew what my job was - give them the football," he said. "People would laugh and say I never threw a pass all season, but that's not quite true."

Modzelewski, now 77, is retired from an outstanding career as a physical education teacher and director of athletics at East Longmeadow High School. He still lives in his hometown, married for 49 years to his high school sweetheart, the former Nancy Crean.

He recalls that the decision to match Agawam and Archbishop Williams wasn't totally embraced in the town.

"There were some mixed feelings about it, to be honest," he said. "I remember how surprised our team was to hear about it. We just finished beating West Springfield to sweep our AA Conference schedule, and we were thinking about getting ready for Holyoke Catholic on Thanksgiving."

Fred Uschmann, who had an outstanding senior season as Agawam's left end, has vivid memories of that game in Braintree.

"We played them pretty well, but that Chiros - he was huge. He went to Notre Dame and they made him a guard. Shows how big he was," Uschmann said.

"Some of the players wondered about playing them, but we talked it over with coach Leonardi, and it was unanimous that we should do it," Uschmann recalled.

Agawam shook off that loss, and finished with a flourish on Turkey Day. With Bruno scoring 32 points - five TDs and two PATs - the Brownies beat Holyoke Catholic 47-6. Bruno's splurge gave him 174 points, a WMass record that lasted until 1995, when Cedric Washington rolled up 257 points for Holyoke.

In its December '57 issue, Scholastic Magazine gave Bruno a first-team berth on its High School All-America football team.

"Altogether, it was quite a season. The loss to Archbishop Williams spoiled it somewhat, but our biggest goal was to win the AA Conference," Modzelewski said.

The Brownies accomplished that with ease, outscoring their AA brethren 267-43. They beat Chicopee 51-0 and West Side 54-0. Their closest game? A 24-6 victory over Cathedral.

"We had a real good offensive line to go with those backs," Modzelewski said.